stanza wise explanation of the poetry bat by Randall Jarrell
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The Bat Poet (1964) is a children’s folktale by Randall Jarrell. The beautiful, classic, black-and-white illustrations accompanying story were drawn by Maurice Sendak. The story is about appreciating individuality in a world that pressures one to conform. One small brown bat, the narrator and protagonist of the work, rebels against the expectations and advice of others. Though the bat consistently encounters conflict with his fellow bats and other animals, he learns to appreciate and accept his own differences. Jarrell’s approach imparts wisdom for children while offering more mature commentary through an embedded allegory about poetry.
The small brown bat is curious about what happens during the daytime, however, the other bats do not share his desire. When the other bats on the porch urge the small brown bat to fly with them to the barn, he decides to stay put, deciding to venture into the unknown and unfamiliar daylight. The small brown bat awakens alone on a porch in the daylight. He flies off to explore this unfamiliar world and meet the daytime animals. This first act of bravery and independence enables the bat to better understand the world and to develop confidence and appreciation for his individuality and unique identity.
As the bat begins his adventure, he is unfamiliar with the sights and animals around him. Recalling the songs of the mockingbird who sings all night, he decides to write his own song depicting what he sees during his daylight outing. However, when the bat discovers that he cannot sing, he concludes saying the words on their own is beautiful, too.
When the bat shares these songs with the other bats, they react negatively, rejecting the bat’s observations and perspective. However, the bat elects to continue composing them because he enjoys them. He consults the mockingbird, though he is anxious and afraid of the standoffish and sometimes aggressive bird. The bat-poet shares his poem that he wrote about the owl. The mockingbird, an experienced writer, offers the bat insightful feedback. For example, the mockingbird responds, “The next-to-the-last line’s iambic pentameter, and the last line’s iambic trimeter.” Their discussion introduces basic fundamental concepts of poetic craft. Much to the bat poet’s surprise, the mockingbird approves of the bat poet’s poem and encourages him to return and recite more.